“EXPECTATIONS!”

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos

Pulpit Series Volume 21, Issue 08   July 3, 2011

Expectations are a funny thing. Some find it easier to expect the worst and be pleasantly surprised if something better happens. Others prefer to set their expectations high and refuse to accept anything that falls short.

I have discovered that the only person I can truly hold accountable for not living up to expectations…..is myself.

Luke 6:20-26 “Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said, “God blesses you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours. God blesses you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied. God blesses you who weep now, for in due time you will laugh. What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man. When that happens, be happy!

Yes, leap for joy! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way. “What sorrow awaits you who are rich, for you have your only happiness now. What sorrow awaits you who are fat and prosperous now, for a time of awful hunger awaits you. What sorrow awaits you who laugh now, for your laughing will turn to mourning and sorrow. What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds, for their ancestors also praised false prophets.”

Who was Jesus speaking to?
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What is Jesus modeling for us about discipleship?
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I may be wrong, but I think one of the things that get us

into trouble is false expectations.

We enter into a relationship or a new job with certain expectations and we get discouraged because we did not really know what to expect.

A key principle in relationships is to state clearly your expectations. We see that Jesus addresses his disciples and lays out eight expectations.

Expectation #1      Luke 6:20

Expect to experience poverty, times when you will not have a dime to your name, and when you do, remember that you are blessed.

Poverty is a gift from the Father to keep you “God Dependent”, don’t reject it, embrace it. Philippians 3:12-14

Expectation #2      Luke 6:24

Expect to experience riches, times when God will open flood gates and pour out so much on you that you will have a tendency to think that you deserve what He is giving you.

Be very careful in those times of wealth that you do not forget who is blessing you.

Deuteronomy 8:2 “And you shall remember all the ways which the LORD your God led you these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you, and to prove you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments, or not.”

Verse 3 “And He humbled you, and suffered you to hunger, and fed you with manna, which you knew not, neither did your fathers know; that he might make you know that man does not live by bread only, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD does man live.”

Verses 10-11 “When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which he has given you. Beware that you forget not the LORD your God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command you this day.”

Verses 12-14 “Lest when you have eaten and are full, and have built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; And when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold is multiplied, and all that your have is multiplied; Then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.”

Verse 16 “… that he might humble you, and that he might prove you, to do you good at your latter end.”

Expectation #3      Luke 6:21

Expect to experience hunger, times when you will have nothing to eat and your stomach will be growling and when that happens remember you are blessed.

Hunger is a gift from the Father to cause you to remember that “it is not by bread alone that a disciple of Christ lives, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Father.” Matthew 4:4

Expectation #4      Luke 6:25

Expect to experience being full, times when you will eat like a king and at times with kings and rulers.

Be very careful when those times come that you do not forget the “Bread of Life” who really satisfies your hunger forever.

Expectation #5      Luke 6:21

Expect to experience pain, times when you will weep deeply, and when that happens remember you are blessed.

Pain is a gift from the Father to cause you to remember that “we do not weep as those of this world, without hope because we have an anchor for the soul in Jesus.” Hebrews 6:19

Expectation #6      Luke 6:25

Expect to experience laughter, times when you will laugh until your stomach hurts. There will be times of great joy.

But be very careful when those times come that you do not forget to share in the pain of others, and bare each other’s burdens.

Expectation #7      Luke 6:22-23


Expect to be hated, ostracized, insulted and scorned for the name of Christ, times when you will experience persecution for the cause of Christ and when that happens, leap for joy, jump up and down because you are blessed.

Persecution is a gift from the Father and a promise for all those who will live like Jesus. II Timothy 3:12

Expectation #8      Luke 6:26

Expect to experience being spoken well of, times when people will praise you for what God has done in and through you.

But be very careful when those times come that you don’t receive the glory, because God shares His glory with no man. Isaiah 48:11

Those who are true disciples of Jesus are promised tough times on this earth. Why?

The answer is simple..hard times of poverty, hunger, tears and persecution come because they are the way the Father uses to mold me and shape me into the image of His dear Son – Jesus.

The Father’s desire is to make you like Jesus.